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Ball Bearing

Ball Bearing

Description

Jack & Heintz Company (JAHCO) of Cleveland, Ohio manufactured this caged seven-ball bearing around 1950. JAHCO was founded during World War II to produce airplane parts, and after the war the company merged with Precision Products to manufacture bearings like this one. The bearing is inscribed “JHI2BCO2.” The Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association collected bearings for a public relations exhibit during the early 1950s, and donated them to the museum in 1977.

Simple bearings have been used for thousands of years reducing friction on turning parts like the axles of carts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s advances in machining and production expanded bearing use in all types of machines greatly increasing their life and precision. Bearings reduce friction on turning surfaces and keep them running true. Bearings come in a variety of shapes and sizes (including ball, roller, tapered, and simple friction). Modern bearings are often set in an inner and outer ring (called a race) sometimes with cages (separators) spacing the bearings. Changes to the size, shape, alignment, race, and cage allow for bearings to be used in almost any industry—from industrial turbines and automobiles to household mixers and computer hard drives.